Atlanta — With dogwoods blooming, pansies smiling and days of cold rain and gray giving way to sun, warmth and blue skies, the Final Four kicked into full gear Friday.

Final Four 2013: The Fans SpeakSyracuse Orange basketball fans give their thoughts on the team and Atlanta, Georgia. The Orange play Michigan in the Final Four semi-final Saturday.

Thousands of Syracuse University basketball fans flooded into town and thousands of them showed up at the Georgia Dome Friday for the team’s open practice at 2 p.m. When the practice ended and the players all waved from the court to the adoring masses in the stands, Syracuse fans cheered, then waved goodbye and flooded outside into a stunning spring afternoon.

Syracuse fans were easily identifiable throughout Downtown Atlanta. They glowed in their Orange shirts and hats under the brilliant sun. Four Orange fans inside Centennial Park said they were pegged even without the Orange shirts. The giveaway, they said, was their shorts on an afternoon when temperatures reached into the mid-60s.

Across from Philips Arena and the CNN Center, Syracuse basketball fans commandeered the Hudson Grille, a chain of local sports bars that had been identified by the SU Alumni Club of Atlanta as its tournament headquarters. Dozens of outdoor tables were packed with Syracuse fans including parents of Orange players and their families. They sipped beer, ate burgers and toasted the Orange, all within the shadows of a huge outdoor advertisement for television host Conan O’Brien, who warns Atlanta that he’s “Come for your housewives.”

At Centennial Olympic Park just across the street, thousands gathered to watch the Zac Brown Band in a free evening concert. The park included dozens of food and beverage stands, outdoor bars, a Ferris wheel, two stages for live music, banks of porta potties, green grass, flowers, blooming dogwoods and Final Four revelers from each of the participants. Even CBS Sports set up an outdoor set for Final Four discussion.

Hundreds of Syracuse fans continued to pour into the park later in the afternoon, streaming down side streets for the concert. They passed multiple stands selling Final Four T-shirts at $25 a pop. Dozens of fans stood piled up on one corner, waiting for the light to change and a traffic officer to let them pass. When the officer finally let the impatient group go, they shouted, “Go Cuse” and gave fist-bumps to the officer as they crossed.

Dan Connors (left) of Herkimer and brother Joe Connors of Auburn check out Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta after arriving from Syracuse for the Final Four.Donnie Webb | dwebb@syracuse.com

Dan Connors, of Herkimer and his brother, Joe Connors, of Auburn, arrived Thursday after riding a charter flight from Syracuse. Both stood outside the concert stage in T-shirts. Dan Connors wore a bright Orange T-shirt with Cuse on the front. He said he was breaking out the shorts for Saturday.

“Winter’s been dragging on,” said Joe Connors.

“It’s a nice flash forward to spring, really,” said Dan Connors. “It’s nice to see spring, for one, and see SU playing well. Hopefully they show up (Saturday). That’s the big thing.